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Re: Repeal of the National Speed Limit Law


THe bottom line is this.  Today, there are more people driving 75mph than 
65mph on the highways.  This is because newer cars are more competent and 
comfortable to drive than older cars.  NObody would drive a 55 chevy 
75mph down an interstate in the dark because the confidence in teh cars 
ablity to handle an emergencye is nonexistent.  

The danger lies in people driving 60mph in a area where everyone else is 
driving 75.  

On the other hand.  The argument about 15mph difference betwee you and 
the car that has a blowout is null.  If a car has a blowout at 35, and 
you're doing 45, and you hit that car, your chances of survival are much 
better than if that car ias doing 50 and you were doing 60.  Remeber, 
both cars are moving, and both must come to a stop at some point.




 Mark Rushton (rushton@primenet.com) wrote:
: <Chris.Glasser@ColumbiaSC.ATTGIS.COM> writes:

: >Right. Going 85 in a 55 MPH zone is perfectly safe. Even if everyone else is
: >going 55-65.  Do you really believe that?

: I'm talking about driving down the predominantly straight, divided interstates 
: that are now (mostly) 65 mph.  Makes no sense to drive 55, or 65, or even 75 
: in some cases.  Come on out to Kansas if and see if you don't agree with me.

: >What if you're going 75 or 85 in a 55, and the guy in the lane next to you
: >about 150 feet in front of you has a tire blow out? What if he then loses
: >control of his car temporarily and swerves into your lane? At 75, you have
: >MUCH less time to react than at 55. Your brakes will not be able to slow your
: >car down anywhere near as well. Your car will not handle as well as 75. You
: >have a much greater chance of hitting this guy going 75 than 55. Do you deny
: >this?

: Pretty lame arguement.  But what if the tires blows at 55?  Wouldn't you be 
: safer driving at 35?  If it blew at 35, wouldn't it be better if you were 
: driving 15?  Come on, your arguement is very sophomoric.

: >And common sense also says that the faster you're driving, the less time you
: >have to react to unexpected situations. If you're driving an interstate at
: >night, your headlights can only cover a certain amount of ground in front of
: >you. If you're going 75 in a 55, by the time your headlights hit some
: >unexpected debris on the road you will not have any chance of avoiding that
: >debris. 

: What are you looking at while driving?  Your ankles?  The cute lights on the 
: dashboard of your car?  You seem to think 75 is warp speed.  It used to be the 
: regular speed limit on many STATE highways back before the mid 1970's oil 
: embargo came along.  Cars have greatly improved since then.

: >The average car's brakes are far less effective at stopping from 75 than at 
: >55.

: Yes, and they're also less effective stopping from 55 than 35.  Your point?  
: How many times have you had to slam on your brakes and come to a complete stop 
: on a divided interstate highway from 55 mph or faster?  It may have happened 
: to people, but it's not a daily (or weekly, or monthly, or yearly) occurance.  
: Not out here in the great plains....

: (my slagging of people with AOL domains is edited)

: >So now everyone with an AOL domain has been grouped together and classified.
: >Hmm, that's about as dumb as me saying that everyone named Mark is a complete
: >fool. But I wouldn't say that. I would just say the one particular Mark making
: >the statement above is a complete fool. Try paying attention to what people
: >have to say rather than what domain they're posting from.

: >While I don't completely agree with the AOL poster's statements, I think he
: >makes some valid points. I also think you made some valid points about cops
: >not giving tickets to people with license plates, etc. But I think you
: >undermined the good points you made by doing stupid things like stereotyping a
: >whole group of people and by making what I consider rediculous statements like
: >driving 10,20, and 30 MPH over posted speed limits is perfectly safe.

: Stereotyping?  Most people with AOL domains either figure out it's a total 
: ripoff and get hooked up with an ISP or go around posting inane comments to 
: other newsgroups because someone else picks up their huge bills.  Hey, bud, I 
: see it all the time.  Most of them don't read FAQs, can't figure out how to 
: copy things in their responses on Usenet, and flame all the time because of 
: their pseudonym status.  Not all, but enough to give the few decent ones a bad 
: name and rep.

: Driving 10, 20, or 30 mph over posted speed limits is perfectly safe, provided 
: you're on a divided, interstate highway of reasonable grade that lacks any 
: severe corners and that traffic is moving along with you.  I normally drive 75 
: on the rural interstates and I'm always being passed by people that seem to 
: know how to keep their cars under control at such Warp speeds (NT speeds for 
: you MS fans :-)   Naturally, I don't consider what I said to be a 
: "rediciulous" (sic) statement.
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